TRAVEL NOTES

<strong>Ultimate Alpine luxury for the ski season<br /></strong>If you really want to do it in style this winter, look no further than VIP Chalets and its all-new Platinum Collection of super-chalets. Want your personal chef to agree bespoke menus before you go? Done.&nbsp; Personal Alpine chauffeur? No problem. Private cinema to go with your hot tub and sauna? But of course. Ski getaways just got a whole lot more fun. <br /><br />Chalet Davos in Val d&rsquo;isere and Taiga Lodge in Meribel are available from &pound;1,350 per person from January, including flights and private transfers. www.vip-chalets.com, 0844 557 3119 <br /><strong>A Mumbai to Kashmir adventure<br /></strong>Here&rsquo;s a truly fabulous way to discover the magic of India. Departing next month, the Village India: A Passage to India tour with adventure specialists Wild Frontiers takes you via Mumbai and the Gateway to India, the Buddhist caves at Ellora and Ajanta, the lakes of Kashmir and of course, the Taj Mahal. Stay in palaces and private forts and take part in a number of activities immersing you in local culture. Departs 2 October. &pound;2,495 for 17 day tour, includes full board, permits and domestic flights. <br />www.wildfrontiers.co.uk 020 7736 3968<br /><br /><strong>Diving in the Red Sea</strong><br />Dive specialist Regaldive now includes Saudi Arabia as a destination for scuba fans to discover, with Farasan Banks in the Red Sea &ndash; a series of small islands dotted with nesting pelicans &ndash; promising beautiful reefs with brightly coloured sponges, corals, turtles and exotic fish, as well as excellent wall diving opportunities. Other new destinations the company offers include Siddhartha Dive Resort in Bali and a new liveaboard vessel for diving in the Philippines. &pound;1,270 per person for a week at Al Ahlam Divers&rsquo; Resort in Al Lith, Saudi Arabia. www.regaldive.co.uk, 01353 659 999<br /><strong><br />New York gets a taste of London luxury</strong><br />With its sleek and fashionable London ventures like the Soho Hotel and Covent Garden Hotel, Firmdale Hotels has established itself as a firm favourite in the boutique sector &ndash; and now it&rsquo;s hitting the Big Apple. The Crosby Street Hotel opens in New York at the end of the month, with 86 bedrooms in a quiet corner of the vibrant SoHo neighbourhood, no doubt with all the swish style of its London operations.<br />From $525 per night. www.firmdale.com